Fernando Rodriguez Nick is the absolute man! Hes incredibly knowledgeable and tells it like it is—no sugarcoating. This was my first offense, and I was facing a DUI along with all the penalties that come with that charge. From the beginning, Nick clearly explained what the process would look like and laid out the potential outcomes we might face. Once we received the evidence in my case, Nick immediately developed a plan of action and began executing it without delay.
A little background on my case:
I left an establishment after having a few drinks and was pulled over at 7:52 PM for not having a front license plate (the timestamps are important in my case). The officer asked if I had been drinking, and I denied it. He claimed to smell alcohol inside my vehicle and had me step out to perform field sobriety tests. I completed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, one-leg stand, and walk-and-turn tests as instructed. Despite my cooperation, the officer stated I exhibited "lack of smooth pursuit" in both eyes.
This led to the administration of the Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) test. I blew a 0.085 at 8:17 PM and a 0.093 at 8:20 PM. At that point, the officer placed me under arrest and gave me a chemical breath test, where I blew a 0.10 at 8:33 PM and a 0.09 at 8:37 PM. Since I had been pulled over and had my car turned off at approximately 7:52 PM, about 25 minutes passed before I was given the PAS test. The rising BAC readings—0.085 followed by 0.093—strongly suggested that my blood alcohol level was still climbing. This allowed for the argument that I was actually under the legal limit while I was driving. Nick recognized this key detail right away. He brought in a forensic science expert and presented this evidence at my DMV hearing, making that exact argument. Thanks to his expertise, Nick was able to save my driver’s license and spare me the headache of dealing with the DMVs consequences.
After winning the DMV hearing, Nick used that success to convince the District Attorney to reduce my charges from a DUI to a Dry Reckless—something that’s extremely rare in the county where I live. I ended up pleading no contest to the Dry Reckless and received 1 year of informal probation, 30 hours of community service, and an $800 fine.
All things considered, this was the best possible outcome given my situation and the strict policies in my county regarding DUIs. Nick absolutely crushed it, and I would 100% recommend him to anyone facing a similar situation. I hope I never need a defense attorney again, but if I do, Nick will be my first call—no question!
5 /5